yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Marcus Aurelius and the Guiding Principles of Stoicism


3m read
·Nov 4, 2024

Processing might take a few minutes. Refresh later.

In the year 165 CE, a black wave of death rose from the East and quickly spurred across the globe faster than anyone could have ever imagined. They called it the Antonine Plague after the reigning Roman Emperor at the time, Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus. Lasting throughout the time of his rule, this plague claimed upwards of 18 million lives and nearly destroyed the Roman Empire. Entire armies could barely scathe, but it didn't undermine Marcus Aurelius's rule.

The Empire thrived despite the economic crises, the numerous invasions, and the grueling pandemic. It is precisely during times of distress that true leaders are tested, and the Caesar rose to the occasion every single time. Aurelius was a philosopher before anything else, regarded as the last of the Five Good Emperors of ancient Rome, a term coined by Nicolo Machiavelli in the 15th century. It was his stoic philosophy that differentiated him from his predecessors.

During the plague, he set his ego aside and broke the mold, surrounding himself with talented and experienced public servants instead of aristocrats and nobles. He listened to advice and empowered those around him to make decisions. He hired the best physicians to lead the battle against the disease decimating Roman populations and to give him the opportunity to focus on the growing economic crisis. He canceled debts, sold Imperial effects and possessions, and confiscated capital from Rome's upper class to keep the economy afloat at a time when fear infiltrated the Empire.

Marcus practiced self-control and inspired his people to remain calm. As if things couldn't get any worse, late in his reign, Marcus received news that an old friend and former general, Avidius Cassius, had staged a rebellion and declared himself Caesar in an attempt to overthrow him. Marcus's response was unusual considering the circumstances. But as disciplined and stoic as he was ever known to be, instead of getting angry and immediately setting out to destroy the men that threatened the Empire, his family, and his legacy, Marcus waited to give the defector a chance to come to his senses.

When he did not, Marcus demanded that Cassius be captured but not killed. In true stoic fashion, he said concerning the matter, "Forgive a man who has wronged one to remain a friend to one who has transgressed; friendship to continue faithful to one who has broken faith." The last of the Five Good Emperors was a student of stoic philosophy. He was greatly influenced by the writings of Seneca and Epictetus, as evident from his personal reflections during campaigning and administration.

He didn't get angry. He didn't allow his emotions to guide his judgments, and he didn't despise his enemy. He acted firmly and justly—a posture that calmed an already nervous Empire in times of extreme tensions. Stoicism provided Marcus Aurelius with a guideline to use when facing the stress of life, and as the leader of the most powerful Empire in history, you know that his stressors were plenty.

This guideline was compiled into "Meditations," Marcus Aurelius's personal diaries—the private thoughts of the world's most powerful man, giving advice on how to be wise in our decisions, just in our judgments, brave in our actions, and temperate in all of our doings. To practice self-control, discipline, and modesty. In short, "Meditations" is a timeless piece of stoic philosophy that is as relevant today as it was in the ancient days of Rome. It is a guide to the key principles of stoicism from the philosopher king himself.

Before we look at "Meditations," I would just like to take a moment to thank our sponsor for today's video, Morning Brew. Just like "Meditations," it includes some of the wisest words from the philosopher king. Morning Brew also features a wealth of information from experts around the world delivered to your inbox every single day. Morning Brew is a free daily newsletter delivered to your inbox in just five minutes. You get all the information you need to know about the world of business, finance, and technology. Unlike traditional news that's boring and honestly full of irrelevant information, Morning Brew's pieces are witty, humorous...

More Articles

View All
2015 AP Calculus AP 2b | AP Calculus AB solved exams | AP Calculus AB | Khan Academy
Part 2b: Region S is the base of a solid whose cross sections perpendicular to the x-axis are squares. Find the volume of the solid. All right, so region S we see it right over here. In the last part, we already said that this function is f and this func…
Derivatives of inverse functions: from table | AP Calculus AB | Khan Academy
Let G and H be inverse functions. So let’s just remind ourselves what it means for them to be inverse functions. That means that if I have two sets of numbers, so let’s say one set right over there, that’s another set right over there. If we view that fir…
The Strange Physics Principle That Shapes Reality
This is a video about a single simple rule that underpins all of physics, every principle, from classical mechanics to electromagnetism, from quantum theory to general relativity, right down to the ultimate constituents of matter, the fundamental particle…
Armie Hammer Ascends From an Underground Cave | Running Wild With Bear Grylls
[music playing] ARMIE HAMMER: Whew! Yeah. Good to go. BEAR GRYLLS: OK. Our gear weighs nearly 75 pounds, and it’s too heavy to carry up this ladder. So we’re going to cache it on the sea floor like Navy SEALs do when they hide their gear until it can be…
THIS Made Me Change My Mind About Bitcoin | Anthony Pompliano
You and I had some epic showdowns on television. You called it everything from crypto garbage, uh, to one time you forbid me from owning any more of it, uh, but I think that there’s a lot of changes that have happened in the market, both from a regulatory…
Half-life | Physics | Khan Academy
This is a Neanderthal skull. Neanderthals are an extinct species of humans, and we believe they went extinct about 35 to 40,000 years ago. This is Earth, and we believe Earth to be about 4.5 billion years old. But my question was always, how do we know th…